I spent a lot of down time thinking how I would
produce the metal fittings. Sheets of 4130AQ are very costly and you generally
need to buy a minimum quantity. I thought of using a sabre saw or a metal table
saw but the finish using these tools would not be optimum. I met George Abernathy
from Canberra here in Australia who is very handy with CAD and is working on
drawing all the metal fittings and having them laser cut. George can cut many
sets out of a sheet of 4130 and has these available to purchase.

George has posted some very good videos of dealing with some
of the metal work.

Metal work is something I enjoy but unless you
have the right tools, it can be a nightmare and dam dangerous as well! I was
going to buy the metal parts ready made but with the cost of freight from the
USA, I decided to have a go myself! Glad I did as it didnt take long and it
felt good too! I was wondering how the best way to cut the 4130 tube would be.
Then the penny dropped! Some time ago I picked up an older style Makita drop
saw. It is all metal and weighs a ton! They dont build tools like that anymore!
I took the wood cutting blade off and a trip to the local hardware store revealed
a metal cut off wheel that bolted straight on. Worked an absolute treat!

I made the front rudder pedals...

...and the control system.

I was dreading having to cut all the sheet metal
and was looking at buying the parts pre-made. I took the time to research how
to use a hacksaw correctly and what blades for each metal and thickness of metal
and surprise surprise, with a little cutting oil, it is not as hard as I thought!
I made both sets of control stick hinge plates in about 30mins...

Learning to TIG weld is the next project!

Turnbuckles for rigging.

November 2013 I organised a TIG welding course
in Canberra. We had 12 guys attend and at the end of two days we had a very
good grasp of the process and the guys were producing some nice welds. Here
are a couple of my practice pieces...

Made a jig as outlined in an article in the BPA
newsletter from Chris I believe of WestCoastPiet fame to crush the ends of the
4130 tube as required in various metal parts...

TIG welding the front rudder pedals. Im not happy
with the result so will remake them. Although it would probably hold, it looks
like a dogs breakfast!...

After numerous attempts at these front rudder
pedals I finally sorted what I was doing wrong and have them done and welded
the stramlined section of the control crank to the tube!